Sweet meets savory in this Instant Pot Lamb Tagine. Ultra-tender lamb shoulder packed with rich Moroccan spices, olives, and raisins, cooked in a fraction of the time in your Instant Pot.
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I'm not used to sweet ingredients in my stews, so the dried fruit in tagines has always fascinated me. I wasn't sure I'd like it ... but then I actually tried it. The plump, sweet raisins add a counterpoint to the rich lamb, the salty olives, tart preserved lemon, and the Ras El Hanout spice blend.
Making a tagine does involve some extra shopping - in my area, preserved lemon and Ras El Hanout require trips to a specialty store. (Or I plan ahead and make an Amazon order, but I prefer to support my local stores.) But it's definitely worth the effort for this fantastic lamb stew.
Ingredient Notes
Lamb substitutes: If you can't find boneless lamb shoulder, buy bone-in lamb shoulder chops and trim out the bones. (I had to do this, and needed 4 pounds of lamb chops to get 3 pounds of meat.) Or, you can substitute beef - boneless chuck shoulder roast or boneless short ribs are best.
Chickpeas: Homemade chickpeas taste much better, and I usually have a few 2-cup containers of chickpeas in my freezer. But, with so much going on in this recipe, you can substitute a drained can of chickpeas without losing too much flavor.
Ras el Hanout: I buy this spice blend from Morocco in specialty stores (or on Amazon). To make your own, mix 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon ginger powder, ½ teaspoon cumin powder, ½ teaspoon coriander powder, and ½ teaspoon turmeric.
Olives: Green olives are most authentic, and green Castelvetrano olives are my favorite choice. That said, if I'm in a hurry, I'll buy a small can of cheap sliced green olives to save on knife work.
Preserved Lemon: Preserved lemon adds a tart and salty flavor to the dish, and is one of the key parts of the Moroccan flavor profile. I buy jars of preserved lemons at specialty grocery stores, or on Amazon. If you can't find preserved lemons, substitute the zest from a fresh lemon (for the tart flavor), and an extra ½ cup of olives (for the salty flavor).
Raisins: The raisins add a sweet pop of flavor. Golden raisins or mixed raisins are best, but any raisin will do. You can also substitute chopped apricots.
How to make Instant Pot Lamb Tagine in Pictures
Marinate the Lamb
Toss the lamb cubes with salt, Ras El Hanout, and olive oil, and marinate for 4 to 8 hours in the refrigerator.
Sauté the Aromatics and Toast the Spices
Sauté the onion, garlic, and ginger, then add the Ras El Hanout and toast for one minute.
Lamb, Chickpeas, Carrots, Tomatoes, and Broth into the Pot
Pour in the broth, scrape the bottom, then add the marinated lamb, chickpeas, carrots, and tomatoes.
Pressure Cook for 20 Minutes (with a 15 minute natural release)
Pressure cook on high for 20 minutes, then let the pressure come down naturally before quick-releasing the remaining pressure.
Add the lemon, olives, raisins
Stir in the preserved lemon, olives, and raisins, and let sit for 5 minutes to plump up the raisins. Serve and enjoy.
What to serve with Lamb Tagine
Lamb tagine is meant to be cooked on a bed of couscous, but since that won't work in an Instant Pot, I make couscous on the side to serve with the lamb. Harissa is great for topping the tagine - it's a spicy pepper paste used across North Africa, and I love the extra heat it brings to the dish.
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Instant Pot Lamb Tagine
- Total Time: 5 hours
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
Sweet meets savory in this Instant Pot Lamb Tagine. Ultra-tender lamb shoulder packed with rich Moroccan spices, olives, and raisins, cooked in a fraction of the time in your Instant Pot.
Ingredients
Marinated Lamb
- 3 pounds boneless lamb shoulder (or beef chuck roast), cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons Ras El Hanout spice blend (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Tagine
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 tablespoon Ras El Hanout
- 1 cup chicken broth (preferably homemade chicken broth, or store-bought low sodium)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (if using homemade broth)
- Marinated Lamb from above
- 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained (or 2 cups of homemade chickpeas)
- 8 ounces carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch lengths
- 14- to 16- ounce can petite diced tomatoes with juices
- Rind from 1 preserved lemon, chopped (discard the pulp) - about ¼ cup
- ½ cup green olives, pitted and chopped
- 1 cup golden raisins (or mixed raisins)
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
Accompaniments
- Serve with couscous and hot harissa paste
Instructions
- Marinate Lamb: Put the lamb cubes in a bowl, sprinkle with the salt and Ras El Hanout, and drizzle with the olive oil. Stir the lamb until it is evenly coated with the spices. Cover and marinate for at least 1 hour, preferably 4 to 8 hours in the refrigerator.
- Sauté Aromatics: In an Instant Pot set to Sauté mode - high (or a stovetop pressure cooker over medium-high heat), heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil until it starts to shimmer, about 3 minutes. Add the onion and sprinkle with the salt. Sauté until the onion and garlic start to brown around the edges, about 5 minutes. Make a hole in the middle of the onions and add the garlic, ginger, and 1 tablespoon Ras El Hanout. Toast the spices for 1 minute, then stir into the onions.
- Lamb, Chickpeas, Carrots, Tomatoes, and Broth into the Pot: Pour 1 cup of chicken broth into the pot (and add ½ teaspoon fine sea salt if using homemade broth). Scrape the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to make sure the onions and spices aren't sticking. Add the marinated lamb, chickpeas, carrots, and the can of diced tomatoes with its juices. Stir until everything is evenly mixed.
- Pressure cook for 20 minutes with a 15-minute Natural Release: Lock the lid on the pot, and pressure cook on high pressure for 20 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker, or for 16 minutes in a stovetop PC. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode in an Instant Pot.) When the pressure cooking time is over, let the pressure come down naturally for 15 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure.
- Heat Lemon, Olives, and Raisins for 5 minutes: Unlock the lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam. Stir in the preserved lemon, olives, and raisins, and let the pot sit for 5 minutes to plump up the raisins.
- Serve: Put a bed of couscous in a bowl, ladle some lamb tagine on top, and sprinkle with a little of the parsley and cilantro, passing the harissa at the table. Serve and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 4 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cups
- Calories: 423
- Sugar: 17 g
- Sodium: 768.4 mg
- Fat: 17 g
- Carbohydrates: 31.6 g
- Fiber: 4.8 g
- Protein: 37.4 g
- Cholesterol: 112.9 mg
Frequently Asked Questions
That's a lot of work - is there a shortcut version?
If you can source the ingredients, most of this recipe is dump and stir. For the shortcut version of this recipe, I do the following:
- Don't worry about marinating the lamb - just toss it with the spices before adding to the pot
- Use a bag of baby carrots instead of peeling and slicing carrots
- Replace the preserved lemon with the zest of a fresh lemon
- Buy pre-sliced olives
…and that's it. This makes this mainly a dump and stir recipe, where dicing and sautéing the onion, ginger, and garlic is the only thing to do before dumping things into the pressure cooker.
Can I use chicken in this recipe?
You can substitute boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch chunks, for the lamb...but that's a different recipe, coming soon.
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